Henry the Navigator
Exploration's royal patron
Henry the Navigator was a 15th-century Portuguese prince who sponsored voyages of exploration along the African coast, helping launch the Age of Discovery.
He never sailed on these expeditions himself—the epithet refers to his role as patron and organizer.
His efforts established Portugal as a major maritime power and opened Atlantic trade routes.
- royal patronageMonarch-funded support for endeavors
- AzoresMid-Atlantic Portuguese territory
- sailing shipsWind-driven watercraft with masts
- MadeiraPortuguese fortified wine
- Cape VerdeAtlantic African archipelago
West Africa · Explorer · African coast · patronage · Gold Coast · Atlantic Ocean · trade winds · sea route · uncharted waters · Canary Islands · nautical charts · Age of Discovery · maps · expeditions · Guinea · coastline · slaves · Portugal
- Portuguese ExplorersVasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan
- Maritime ExplorationColumbus, Magellan, voyage, Age of Discovery, circumnavigation
- PortugalLisbon, Porto, Algarve, Oporto, Madeira
- Portuguese EmpirePortugal, spice trade, Vasco da Gama, Age of Discovery, slave trade
- Portuguese ExplorationVasco da Gama, caravels, Lisbon, sea routes, spice trade
- Portuguese historyAge of Discovery, Carnation Revolution, Salazar, Vasco da Gama, caravel